With the sea ban lifted, both Yinreng and Kangxi were busy, especially since Kangxi rarely visited the harem anymore. The harem was lonely and quiet, which made things much more harmonious.
Seeing that everyone had some free time, Mingxiu started looking for people to play mahjong. Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and Xiao Hesheli were her regular mahjong partners. Usually, when everyone was free, Mingxiu would ask her maid to help out, so her mahjong partners never broke up.
However, many mahjong sets in the palace originated from Mingxiu, and Mingxiu did not stop them. It was lonely in the palace, so it was good to give everyone something to do.
None of the four of them were particularly lively. Mingxiu thought she was already quite quiet, but compared to the other three, she was still very lively.
Playing mahjong in the palace mainly involved eating, drinking, and gossiping. Although they wouldn't actively go out to inquire about gossip, they had plenty of people under their command and were never short of manpower.
In addition, there are hardly any secrets in the palace, so people talk about all sorts of things.
For example, Consort Wenxi is about to give birth.
The Imperial Noble Consort's health has been poor lately.
They had a very pleasant chat. Consort Hui only has one son, Yinzhi, who is currently busy with three different things: the Imperial Study, the Princes' Residence, and the Ministry of War, and rarely comes back. Consort Rong has one son and one princess, both of whom are already grown up and live in the Princes' Residence and the Princess's Residence, and they also rarely come back.
Needless to say, Xiao Hesheli was all alone. Although Chenghuan came back to Mingxiu at night, she didn't spend much time with her sisters because she played well with them and went to school every day.
Mingxiu led Consort Hui and the other three to play from morning till night, having lunch and dinner there, and then going back home after dinner.
Life was very pleasant.
It's unclear how Kangxi found out that she was living a comfortable life, but he arranged a lot of homework for her, which easily shattered Mingxiu's happy mood.
I could only do my homework reluctantly.
However, after the lifting of the maritime ban, many foreigners came, and many strange and unusual things appeared on the streets of the capital. Although Mingxiu could not go out to stroll around by herself, since Yinreng was in charge of this matter, whenever there was something good, someone would pass it to him, and then many of them would end up in Mingxiu's hands.
Therefore, Mingxiu was very clear that many foreigners liked Qing Dynasty goods and took them out to sell. During this period, the income of the coastal areas increased by an unimaginable multiple.
The increased profits frightened Emperor Kangxi and his court officials, as the profits were simply too great. However, it was impossible for them to give up this lucrative business now, so they could only continue to make money while remaining fearful.
Moreover, since the lifting of the maritime ban, the imperial court has been constantly preventing fleets from going to sea. News keeps coming back from the sea, and everyone has learned more about other countries. They are even less willing to remain blind to the dangers. So now, even officials who previously disagreed can no longer voice their opposition.
Everyone was happy, and the matter was resolved with only Yinreng injured. There was also Chen Tingjing and his Ministry of Revenue. Yinreng was extremely busy every day.
As the weather gradually turned colder, Mingxiu was very worried as she looked at the snow, which was almost as high as an adult's calf. It hadn't snowed this much in previous years, so why was it snowing so heavily today?
And it's snowing very early. Thinking back to the floods in the middle of the year, and now with this heavy snow, I wonder if there will be another snow disaster later.
Mingxiu had this suspicion, so she told Kangxi about it. Kangxi, of course, knew more than she did, so he had this idea long before the snow started falling so early.
Listening to Mingxiu's guesses, the two sat in the glass room around the stove, brewing tea and looking at the snow scene outside.
Mingxiu was putting oranges on the stove, preparing to roast them, when she heard Kangxi suddenly say, "Since I ascended the throne, the Qing Dynasty has been plagued by continuous disasters. Is it really Heaven punishing me and the Qing Dynasty?"
Mingxiu understood the sorrow and sadness in Kangxi's voice. She looked up solemnly at this man who was only in his twenties, a naive and innocent college student in modern times.
By this time, he was already the ruler of a country, bearing the responsibility of caring for the people. He was ambitious and capable, but he also had moments of fear.
Mingxiu thought of how Kangxi lost his mother when he was only a few years old, and how she was not favored by her father. Later, it made no difference whether she had a father or not.
While most people were still in elementary school, this person was already an emperor, constantly and diligently fighting against all sorts of people without ever stopping.
Mingxiu felt a surge of heartache welling up from the bottom of her heart. She walked up to Kangxi, squatted down, and hugged Kangxi's face.
She said very seriously, "Your Majesty, this is not your fault. Natural disasters are God's business. He failed to handle them properly and neglected his duties. How can we fight against God? You have been cleaning up God's messes and troubles, which is already very good. But these are not your fault, so don't be too hard on yourself." Mingxiu actually knew that these things were just natural disasters, man-made calamities, and related to the weather.
However, she couldn't explain these things clearly, and it wouldn't be appropriate to say too much, so Mingxiu directly comforted him in a different way.
As expected, it worked very well. Kangxi was initially touched by the heartache in Mingxiu's eyes, but upon hearing her words, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Aren't you afraid of being punished by Heaven?" Kangxi said, both amused and exasperated, as he pushed Mingxiu with his finger.
Mingxiu hadn't been squatting properly to begin with, so he pushed her down and made her sit on the ground.
Mingxiu supported herself on the ground with both hands, looking at Kangxi with some resentment. She had clearly meant well, so why was he repaid with ingratitude?
Feeling guilty, Kangxi pulled Mingxiu up and sat her in his lap, holding her hands in his arms. After checking to make sure she wasn't injured, he...
He then pulled her into his arms and said, "I understand everything you've said. Don't worry, I won't think it's my fault. It's just something that happened. We'll deal with it one step at a time."
He also had his own pride, though he was vulnerable for a moment. But once he came to his senses, he was still himself. From ruling to becoming prime minister, Kangxi didn't think there was anything wrong with what he had done. He lifted the sea ban, planted grain, and ensured that the people were well-fed and clothed. He felt he had done a good job.
Mingxiu looked at Kangxi's firm and proud expression, pursed her lips, and knew that this man had already calmed himself down.
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